Tag: PC Gaming

What Are You Playing Over Holiday Break?

Those of us that are lucky enough to have some vacation time during Christmas and New Year’s have an excellent opportunity to catch up on gaming. Whether you’re locking yourself in your “man cave” with your consoles or catching up on PSP or DS titles while visiting friends and family, it’s game time!

As for me, I’m away from my consoles, but that’s cool because I wanted to catch up on Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS and Ghosts Attack for iPhone. I’m totally geeked out that Ghosts Attack will generate one set of maps based on the GPS location of my parents’ house and another based on my apartment’s coordinates. As expected, I played a lot of Civilization Revolution on the airplane…and probably spent another eight hours playing since I’ve been here. Assuming I can stop myself from playing Civ, I wanted to give the iPhone version Song Summoner a shot.

How about you guys and dolls? What are you playing until it’s time to go back to the grind?

Dragon Age Comic Book Coming in March 2010 From IDW

IDW has released details on its upcoming Dragon Age comic book coming in March 2010. The book features writing by renowned homophobe Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, art by Mark Robinson, and covers by the outstanding Humberto Ramos. Here are more details from IDW:

In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague mankind, trolls, faeries, and all the inhabitants of the realm. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever.

I’m not expecting much from this book, but I might give it a shot because I’m such a Dragon Age: Origins junkie. In fact, I’m bringing the first DA novel with me for holiday break. If I can’t play Dragon Age while I’m on vacation then I might as well read about its world, right?

Any of you planning to pick up the Dragon Age comic book in March?

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Coffee Talk #53: All I Want for Christmas is…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Javier Vazquez returning to the NY Yankees, the taxation of indoor tanning salons, or your holiday plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Unless you’re excessively rich, chances are that you didn’t buy every game you wanted in 2009. (If you are excessively rich see the donation button in the right sidebar.) Games are expensive. The economy blows. There were a lot of fantastic games released in 2009. Something must have slipped through the cracks. What’s the one 2009 release you wish you had?

For me, that’s easy — The Beatles: Rock Band. I love The Beatles and I enjoy music games. As a (mediocre) guitar player, I think it’s awesome that the game has controllers shaped like classic Gretsch and Rickenbacker guitars. The visuals are way better than those found in any other music game. Unfortunately, it came out while I was flying all over Asia and when I got back, I couldn’t really afford it. That said, if I could have one game for Christmas, this would be it.

That’s just wishful and needless thinking though. I have plenty of excellent games to play and I have a bunch of video equipment that I’d like to get for the site. I’ll get The Beatles: Rock Band when it’s marked down — no rush.

Now for the important part. If you could have one game for a holiday gift, what would it be?

January 2010 Issue of Playboy Features Tara Reid and Gamer Girls

The January 2010 issue of Playboy is looking completely awesome — it features the sexy Tara Reid (naked) and a bunch of female videogame characters (also naked). The (naked) gamer girls include Heavy Rain’s Madison Paige, Hecuba Manaros from God of War III, Skylar St. Claire from The Saboteur, Beatrice Portinari from Dante’s Inferno, and Bella Antonelli from Mafia II.

Tara Reid has a special place in my heart and it all started at a videogame event. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I saw her throw a huge tantrum at a PlayStation 2 anniversary party in Los Angeles. Security wouldn’t let her into the after-party and she was cursing up a storm. She demanded that the hotel let her into the party or get her a limo. After a few minutes of swearing like a sailor, her limousine arrived. It was pretty hot.

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Coffee Talk #52: Holding Out for a (Super) Hero (Videogame)

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Biz Markie teaming up with The Shack, this excellent Dhalsim song, or your upcoming holiday feasts, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As a bunch of you were discussing the Iron Man 2 trailer, the subject of super hero dream games came up. In the spirit of Coffee Talk #6, I thought it would be an excellent idea to talk about the spandex game of your dreams. So let’s do it!

As for me, there are two games DC Comics games that I’d love to see. The one that’s more likely is a Green Lantern title. With the success of the Nintendo Wii and motion controls from Microsoft and Sony coming in 2010, there’s a decent chance that the Green Lantern game of my dreams will be made. It would star Hal Jordan (and hopefully Guy Gardner) and use motion controls to create various power-ring constructs. It could be something unique and imaginative if handled by the right developer.

The second super-hero game I want will never happen. It’s just too late. I want a buddy-action game, similar to Army of Two, starring Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. The JLI era of Justice League was one of my favorite comic-book runs of all time. It was unique and hilarious, but still contained enough action to keep traditionalists happy. My Blue and Gold game would be full of fast-paced action and high-tech gadgets, but the dialogue would be key. The game would be full of witty quips, immature insults, and tons of “bwahahahaha” laughter that Beetle and Booster were famous for back in the day.

As a special shout out to my friend at Marvel — make a frickin’ Quasar game already!!!

Anyway, let me know about the super-hero videogame of your dreams. Kindly list the character and describe your game. Quantum bands for life!!!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Elin NordegrenI’ll be flying to New York for the holidays on Thursday, so this will be my last weekend with my home consoles in 2009. I recently completed my fifth run in Dragon Age: Origins (city elf rogue named Keebler, *snicker*) and I’m contemplating giving it another go. Still, I feel like I should play something else. Downloading Final Fantasy VIII is awfully tempting, but I think I’ll save that for my PSP in New York. What other games of mine need more attention?

Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2 are two titles that I started, played for a few hours, acknowledged as great, and never picked up again. I know I’ll get back to both eventually, but this weekend seems as good a time as any. I’ve been meaning to play more Magna Carta, which is an under-the-radar game RPG fans should look at. I’m also tempted to dust off Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 to honor the world’s most famous adulterer. Too bad there isn’t a DLC minigame that requires you to drive around while hopped up on pain killers trying to avoid your hot Swedish wife.

Coffee Talk #50: Favorite Games of 2009 #1 Dragon Age: Origins

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the miracle of Manning, whether Operation Chokehold will do some damage to AT&T today, or destroying all Snuggies, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I mentioned last week, I’ll be counting down my five favorite games of 2009 in this week’s Coffee Talk columns and I’d love for you to join me! Let me know what your favorite games of the year were in the comments section. Remember, this isn’t about what games you thought were “best”. I want to know what you had the most fun with in 2009.

Dragon Age Origins 3

What did you think I was going to pick? Halo 3: ODST?!? Ha! For those of you that have have been reading my articles for a while, there should have been no doubt that I was going to pick Dragon Age: Origins. I adore BioWare. RPGs are my favorite genre. Fantasy is my favorite setting. I played the hell out of both Baldur’s Gate games. Of course I was going to go nuts for this game! (And if you’re new to the site, just nod and smile. This all makes sense.)

While the graphics in Dragon Age: Origins aren’t the best, pretty much every other aspect of the game is perfect for me. I love the versatile gameplay — tanking as a warrior, backstabbing as a rogue, and dishing out spells as a mage were all fun experiences that are quite different from one another. The story and writing are brilliant, especially after playing the game multiple times (five completions so far) and noticing how expertly different characters were woven into the game’s tapestry. The music is top notch. With different dialogue branches, multiple outcomes, various companion characters, and variations in gameplay, I wouldn’t be surprised if my play-throughs hit double digits.

Although I’ve logged more hours into Civilization: Revolution for iPhone, I had the most fun — by far — with Dragon Age: Origins in 2009. I swear BioWare made the game just for me.

New Super Street Fighter IV Stages Revealed

Super Street Fighter IVa

Capcom community ace and the scourge of North American fighting-game tournaments Seth Killian showed off some new screens of Super Street Fighter IV’s new stages. Here’s some of what Seth had to say on Capcom Unity:

In the new Metro City background, you can spot Hugo, as well as a gigantic, shirtless Mike Haggar statue, constructed by your Metro City mayor, Mike Haggar (Mayors are always doing this kind of thing).

The new African stage is one of my visual favorites, not only because of all the crisp lighting, but for the background action as well, where you fight during an eclipse and can knock over hippos and be taunted by meercats.

The Korean stage is a riot of colors, with young and old turning out to check out the fight, and includes my favorite new spazzy background character of all time!

I’m totally amped for this game. Sexy Korean girls rule!!! Hit the break for more screens!

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Square Enix Accepting Applications for FFXIV Beta Test

FFXIV

While Final Fantasy XIII is hitting Japan like a tsunami, Square Enix has announced that it is accepting applications for Final Fantasy XIV. If you want an early glimpse at this MMO, head on over to the official site and sign up.

Any of you going to give this game a shot?

Coffee Talk #48: Favorite Games of 2009 #3 SmackDown vs. Raw 2010

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Seattle Mariners making out like bandits in the big MLB trade, Boeing finally getting the 787 Dreamliner off the ground, or Freddie Roach calling out Roger Mayweather, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I mentioned last week, I’ll be counting down my five favorite games of 2009 in this week’s Coffee Talk columns and I’d love for you to join me! Let me know what your favorite games of the year were in the comments section. Remember, this isn’t about what games you thought were “best”. I want to know what you had the most fun with in 2009.

Smackdown vs Raw 2010 c

#3 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 — I love videogames and I love WWE, so it’s no surprise that I love THQ’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 series. This year’s game was very special to me since it contained my first pieces of writing on that side of the business. The award-winning scripts of the Shawn Michaels and Mickie James storylines aside, it’s just a great game. In addition to the variety of matches and careers it offers, 2010 ups the ante on the creative side. WWE fans have been able to create wrestlers and moves in the past, but this year storylines can be created and content can be shared online. It’s cool stuff.

Sure, I joke about the game being nominated for the best videogame writing in the history of man, but I love playing it. Getting to beat up Randy Orton with dozens of WWE Superstars — whether they’re real or imagined or downloaded — never gets old.